I'm Only Human
by WorthlessPleasure
Summary: When the ruler of the Underworld threatens all of humankind, it's up to one demon convert to stop him. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So this is the first major story I've done since...April? Wow. Okay, so I hope you like it. :] I meant to publish it yesterday, but...didn't. So here it is, a day late. :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not, nor will I ever, own Big Time Rush.**

"Logan!"

The brunette poofed into the grand hall, a puff of dark red smoke appearing with him. He looked at the chair in front of him, where his master sat. "Yes, o Dark Lord?" he said, kneeling as he did so.

The man smiled sadistically. He stood, the red suit he donned being covered by his black cape. "I have a job for you. This is not going to be easy, and you are the only demon I can trust with this task."

Logan stood and nodded. He was used to getting difficult tasks. He worked for the devil himself, Arthur Lucifer Griffin, but he wasn't a demon, per se. He was born a human, and lived a short five years in humanity. But he was dragged down to hell in order to spend all of eternity as a slave. And as much as he longed to return to humanity, he knew that was a bad idea. Griffin had quite a temper, and crossing him typically led to an eternity in hell's fiery depths, the endless torture of being burned alive with no chance of receiving the sweet relief of death. That alone was enough to keep his subjects in line.

Griffin smiled. "I need you to bring all of the good souls in the human world down to me."

Logan was shocked and confused. "But…but I thought only the _bad_ souls were sent here."

"Logan," Griffin started, his smile being replaced by a more serious expression. "I want—no, I _need_ to take over the human world." Logan's mouth fell agape at hearing those words. "And to do that, I need the world to _end_."

Logan paused to process what he had just learned. "So…you want to cause the apocalypse?"

Griffin nodded, his evil smile returning. "Precisely. And to do that, I need the good in the world," he paused for dramatic effect, "_gone_."

Logan gulped.

"So," Griffin continued. "can you do it?"

Logan nodded. Reaping was simple. All he really had to do was separate the good souls from the bad. The rest was as easy as a wave of the hand with the powers his demon life came with.

"Good." His master was standing in front of him now. "And I want this done _quickly_, so no lazing around." Logan nodded. "Alright. Dismissed."

Logan was gone in an instant, leaving behind the same dark red smoke that came with his entrance.

Griffin smirked and returned to his pedastal. As he sat, he smiled at his advisor.

The girl wore a similar smirk. "You know he's going to find out the full plan eventually, right?"

"Of course," Griffin replied. It was common knowledge that the boy was beyond clever, and had a knack of figuring many things out very quickly. "But you're going to make sure he doesn't find out too soon, correct?" His expression was intimidating.

But his advisor was unfazed. "Yes sir."

Griffin nodded. "Good. Now, tell the lower demons to prepare for our new arrivals."

The girl nodded and flashed out, purple smoke left in her place.

Griffin laughed in a stereotypical villian fashion once he was alone.

His plan was just too _perfect_ to fail.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I'm really good at publishing a day late. This was going to be up yesterday, but things got a little hectic. And, fair warning: chapter 3 is still in its early stages, so there's going to be a bit of a wait on that one. So sorry in advance.**

It had taken all of two hours for Logan to reap the good souls on earth and bring them to the underworld. Within a day, the people left on earth had started to notice. Within a week, turmoil erupted. Prostitution, robbery, and murder quickly became the new norm, and people began to run their lives solely on greed.

Little changed in Los Angeles, California. It was still a money capital, and still a major crime center. A trio of heiresses, who only referred to themselves as "The Jennifers", were the epitome of greed. They were the self-proclaimed rulers of Los Angeles, having the money and the power to do whatever their hearts desired.

They took power over Los Angeles with their looks, money, and intimidation. They ruled with an iron fist, giving the citizens two options: obey or die. As they roamed their streets, their "subjects" bowed, more out of fear than respect. They were tyrannical, and almost universally hated.

One day, as they strolled through Sunset Boulevard, they were approached by a man with a long overcoat, his hands buried in the pockets. He smiled, pulled out a gun, and shot the three girls. No hesitation, no remorse, and no repercussions.

Charlotte, North Carolina, was no better. Jo Taylor worked the streets like she owned them. She was a typical prostitute, broke and desparate for money. She sold her body to a dozen rich men every day, and she couldn't have cared less. It was good money, and it was a living. Of course, after half the population basically fell off the face of the earth, her clientelle got shadier. And one day, while she was working, a black car with tinted windows stopped at her corner. She approached it as the window was rolled down, expecting some hotshot business man with a fat stack of cash. All she saw, though, was the glint of the barrel of a gun before the shot rang out, and then she was dead, left on the ground in a pool of her own blood.

Yeah, the world was pretty fucked up. But life for the good souls in hell wasn't much better.

They were basically held in a prison, caged and tortured. Escape was impossible, life was unbearable, and, since death was nonexistant in hell, suicide wasn't an option. The good souls were essentially tortured just thinking about it, and living it was much worse. It wasn't pleasant for anybody, and Logan felt nothing but remorse, since he was forced to banish innocent people. He saw his family, his neighbors, his old friends forced into hell. It wasn't at all a good sight.

* * *

><p>Logan was still watching the human world some time later. The world had succumbed to the chaos, and it was only a matter of time until the early apocalypse would be brought forth. Logan couldn't help but feel regret for doing this, but he couldn't disobey his master. So he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. The "hard place" being a giant burning hole.<p>

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door. He turned to find a brunette girl in a dark cloak. "Hey Camille. What are you doing here?"

The girl gave him a sad smile. "Hey Logan. You know Griffin's apocalypse plan?" The boy nodded. "Well…he didn't give you all the details."

Logan was confused. Camille _was_ Griffin's advisor, so she would know the full plan, but she was also manipulative and often lied to get what she wanted.

He decided to humor her. "So what are _all_ the details, Camille?"

"After Griffin takes over the world, he's going to destroy all traces of human life."

Logan paused for a minute. "Okay…and what does that have to do with anything?"

Camille exhaled sharply and grabbed onto his shoulders. "No, you _don't _ understand. He's going to destroy _all_ traces of human life. Humans on earth, humans down here, humans converted to demons…" She trailed off, hoping he'd finally understand what she was trying to say.

They sat in silence for a few monents until it finally dawned on him. "That includes me." Camille nodded solemnly and removed her hands from his shoulders. "I've got to do something," he said, determination burning in his eyes. He started for the door, but Camille stopped him.

"Logan, the world has been in complete and total chaos for six months. What can you possibly do at this point?"

Logan sat in thought for a moment. "Well, maybe I can put some good back into the world."

Camille turned Logan to face her. "Logan even if that _were_ to work, Griffin has a _lot_ riding on this plan. If he finds out that you're trying to stop it…"

Logan hung his head. "I know." He looked back up. "But either way, I'm _going_ to die."

Camille nodded. "You've got nothing to lose."

"Which means I have to try," Logan said, determination radiating from him. With that, he marched out of his room, a plan already formulating in his mind.

Meanwhile, Camille was still standing in Logan's room, a wide grin plastered onto her face. There was a flash behind her, and black smoke began to fill the room. Her smile remained. "Hello, Master," she said, turning around.

Griffin was smiling as well. "Did you tell him?"

"Yes sir, and he's already planning to stop you."

Griffin's smile grew. "Perfect. You know what to do now.

"Yes sir." With that, Camille fashed out, purple smoke mixing with the black that circulated on the ground.

Griffin stayed behind. "All according to plan."

He gave a loud evil laugh and flashed out.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys! It's been a while. And I'm sorry. But school was just brutal the last few weeks, and I had to focus on that, so I didn't have much time to write. But I managed to get this out during finals the past two days, and I meant to get it up on Thursday, but that didn't happen. :/ Anyway, here's the long-awaited third chapter of I'm Only Human!**

* * *

><p>Logan sat in a chamber hidden from the rest of the vast Underworld. It was a small space with blood red walls and dim light. But it was a sort of safe haven for him. He had laid claim to the room a few years before, cursing it so only he could enter.<p>

It was in here that he studied mortal subjects, just in case he somehow managed to return to his own world. He also did a lot of thinking here. Presently, he busied himself with formulating a plan for stopping Griffin. Placing good back into the world would be difficult if Griffin was watching everything, which undoubtedly was the case. Therefore, the process would have to be gradual. But, as Logan sat in thought, he realized another obstacle: Camille. Being Griffin's advisor, and knowing what he was doing, she was probably a bigger threat than Griffin was. One false move and she would most likely tell Griffin everything and help plan his death—or worse, his eternal torture.

So basically, Logan was walking in a minefield by doing this. But the alternative to risking his life was dying. He figured he'd take his chances with his plan.

Of course, there was another major flaw in this: he had no idea what to do.

Unbeknownst to his superior, Logan had been watching the mortal world. Mainly, he'd been watching his parents and friends, who had all lived on with the assumption that he had been kidnapped twelve years prior. By the time he had learned how to watch their world, everyone had lost hope that he would return. He saw his parents sadly live on with the nagging feeling that something was missing. He saw them watch his old friends grow up, jealous that they couldn't do the same with their own son.

And his friends, who never replaced him, the childlike hope that one day he'd return carrying through until they reached middle school. It was then that they finally experienced the sadness and anger that came with his disappearance. At first, they used delinquency to cope with the loss. But after threats of expulsion, they were forced to find a new way to deal with everything. Hockey became that thing. They threw all of their emotions into the sport, and quickly established themselves as elite in the school.

And Logan watched them for years, wishing for nothing more than to be able to go back. But he knew all too well that wasn't possible, and the grief in knowing that was enough to swallow him whole.

And, as Logan thought about the grief of everyone involved, he realized something. They all sat in the holding chamber. If he wanted to, he could try and reconnect with them. The fear that they wouldn't accept him crept into his mind, but his determination silenced it, and before he could stop himself, he flashed out of his sanctuary.

* * *

><p>He appeared in a grand hall with a cloud of dark red smoke. He took a moment to acquaint himself with the room. It was a sort of holding chamber for damned souls. They waited in here for judgment, burned for however long they were supposed to, then sent on to whatever the afterlife held. Logan, despite having been a demon for so long, had never set foot in this room, nor had he really learned the whole process of what happened after death. He just sent the reaped souls here and that was that.<p>

As he looked around now, he began to wish he hadn't come in at all. The room was a lot hotter than most of the Underworld (despite mortal belief, it was actually quite tolerable in most areas). But worse than that was that the room seemed to stretch on forever. He feared it could take days, hours even, to find who he was looking for.

As he began to walk, an unknown force pushed him. Forward, forward, sudden turn, forward. On like that for just a few minutes, maneuvering through cages of mostly unconscious mortal souls. Before he could even try to figure out what was happening, he found himself in front of a cage with two familiar sleeping forms.

"Mom? Dad?" The two forms stirred slightly then stilled again.

Something burned within Logan, and he felt it rise from his core. "Awaken!" he said, his voice still barely above a whisper, but power emanating from it.

The souls in the cage awakened quickly, rising to a sitting position. The power within Logan faded.

The man quickly took a protective hold of his wife, who was studying Logan. He watched as her eyes scanned him, going from curious to shocked to almost hopeful. "Logan?" The man turned, looking from his wife to the demon outside of the cage.

Logan nodded. "Yeah, mom. It's me."

Logan's mom smiled, tears gathering in her eyes. She sobbed into her husband's shoulder. "Joanna…" he started. She looked up. "…how do we know if this is _our_ Logan?"

"If I may?" Logan interjected. Both adults turned to him. "Remember back when I was five and James, Carlos, Kendall and I were playing around by the lake and Carlos decided it would be a good idea to push me across the lake into the trees?" The adults nodded, then watched as Logan rolled up his sleeve, revealing a long, jagged scar running the length of his forearm. "Needed twenty stitches."

The adults sat stunned. "Logan…" Joanna choked out. "Oh, we were so worried. What happened to you?"

Logan sighed. "Uh…I was kidnapped…by the devil…" His parents gasped. "But that's not important! Right now, I need to find…well…"

Suddenly he was moving again. He heard his parents yell goodbye, and he waved without turning back. He soon found himself in front of another cage. He looked in, wondering who was inside. At first glance, the three forms were unfamiliar to him. Then he saw the helmet.

"Awaken!" he said, the same power from before filling his voice. The three bodies stirred and awoke. They looked to Logan, seeing him in his demonic glory. The helmeted boy latched onto one of the other boys, shaking slightly from fear. "I'm scared," the boy murmured. The other boy comforted him, whispers of, "It's okay," pouring from his mouth.

The third boy walked to the bars of the cage. His blond hair fell just above his green eyes, which burned with emotions that frightened even Logan. "Who are you?" he asked, venom lacing his words. "And why are you here?"

Logan faltered for a moment, then realigned himself. No mortal could overpower him. "I'm Logan," the other boys looked over to them, shock and curiosity written on their faces, "and I'm here because I need your help."

The helmeted boy broke from his friend and crawled to the bars. "Logie? Is…is that you?"

Logan sighed and nodded. "Yeah, Carlos. It's me." Carlos' eyes lit up. Logan smiled, then looked to the back of the cage, where the other boy now sat, stunned, confused, and hopeful. "Yes, James. It's me." The boy smiled as well.

Logan turned back to the blond, who wore a stony expression. "Are you really _our_ Logan?" he asked. Logan nodded. "Prove it."

Logan shook his head. "Oh, Kendall," he laughed. "Such a skeptic." He sobered. "Remember that time at the lake when I—"

"—when _Logan_," Kendall cut in.

"—got pushed into the trees by Carlos?"

Carlos interjected. "Yeah, you…" he turned to Kendall, "…he was in the hospital for like three days. I was so scared that I killed him or something!"

Logan chuckled, lifting up his sleeve for the second time. "No, you didn't kill me. Just gave me twenty stitches and left me with a nasty scar."

Carlos' eyes widened. "It _is_ you!"

Logan smiled, looking back to Kendall. "Believe me now?"

Kendall stared back, his face unreadable. "I…I don't know…"

Carlos and James looked at him, incredulous. "Of _course_ it's him!" they yelled in unison.

Logan shook his head. "Guys, it's alright. I didn't come down here to convince you. I came down here because I need your help." The three boys nodded. "Alright. First off, I should start by apologizing."

"Why?" Carlos asked.

"Because…" he looked away from them. "…because I'm the one who brought you here."

The boys wore matching shocked expressions. "You _what_?" James asked.

"Before you say anything, I had no choice!"

Kendall shook his head. "Why not? Was the _devil_ going to kill you?"

Logan sighed, bowing his head. "Try eternal torture in a fire pit," he muttered.

This caught their attention. "So…you're like...working for the devil or something?"

Logan nodded. "That's why I disappeared so long ago. I got kidnapped and taken here."

Kendall laughed. "Do you _honestly_ expect us to believe that? I mean…okay, _maybe_ you're really Logan, and _maybe_ you're a demon. If all that's true, then why are _we_ here?"

Logan sighed. "Why are you here? Because the devil is trying to take over the human world."

Kendall went wide-eyed. "W-what?"

Logan nodded. "I don't know exactly what he's planning, but I do know that I have to stop it."

Carlos spoke up. "Why? I mean…don't you work for the guy?"

Logan sighed. "For now, yeah. But if his plans succeed, he's going to destroy all traces of mortal life. Including me."

The boys recoiled. "We have to stop him!" James screamed. "I'm too handsome to be destroyed!"

Kendall slapped his arm. "Focus, James!" He turned back to Logan. "Alright. I'm not sure if I believe you, but I'm in."

"Us too," James and Carlos said.

Logan smiled. "Thanks."

There was a short silence.

"So…what do we do now?" Kendall asked.

Logan's smile fell. "I have no idea."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Don't hate me, but I've had this done for like two weeks and I've been too lazy to type it. But I finally sat down and got it done. And to celebrate…well, I have to take a hiatus. :/ Sorry. But enjoy this chapter, and I PROMISE I will try to update this in April during Spring Break. And I for sure will update in May after school lets out. Kay? Alright, on to the chapter.**

* * *

><p>Soon after the exchange with his childhood friends, Logan found himself back in the sanctuary. He had first racked his brain for ideas on stopping Griffin, but came up with nothing. So he sat in the small, dimly-lit room, books on virtually every subject, both mortal and supernatural, strewn all over. One book sat alone in the corner, Logan's frustration leaving it charred when nothing of use presented itself. He was engrossed in a fluid motion of reading a book, finding nothing, angrily throwing it into the sea of books he created around himself, and picking up another. Read. Nothing. Throw. Pick up. Repeat. He did this for hours and, while he learned of the life and death of numerous war heroes and the findings of countless scientists, he learned nothing that could help him save the mortal world. He groaned in frustration, his head falling to rest against the wall. As much as he hated to admit it, this wasn't a problem he could figure out on his own.<p>

He needed help.

* * *

><p>Logan returned to the cages to find James and Carlos locked in an intense thumb wrestling match, and Kendall separated from the pair, seemingly lost in thought. He didn't want to snap the blond out of his reverie, but he had to if he wanted to come up with a way to stop Griffin. He brought his hand through the bars and lightly shoved Kendall's shoulder. The blond at first seemed unfazed, and Logan was about to repeat his actions when he quickly snapped back into reality, turning to face the brunet. He smiled. "You come up with anything?" he asked hopefully. Logan sighed and shook his head, and Kendall's smile fell to a dejected frown. "Alright," he replied. "We'll just have to bring our heads together and come up with something then."<p>

Logan nodded. "You come up with anything at all?"

Kendall smirked. "Well, I figured that we just destroy this Griffin guy. Problem solved."

Logan laughed. "Easier said than done. One does not simply destroy the lord of the Underworld. Although that _is_ a good way to end things."

Kendall nodded, a small smile still adorning his face. "So…how do we figure out a way to stop this guy?"

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but a loud shout stopped him. Carlos rushed to the edge of the cage, screams of "Ooh!" and "I know!" spilling from his mouth as he went. Logan and Kendall laughed as he ran into the edge of the cage, his black helmet clanging loudly against the bars. He fell back into a sitting position next to Kendall, struggling to catch his breath. "I…know…what…to do…" he said between deep breaths.

"And what should we do, Carlos?" Logan asked, still chuckling.

"We should just spy on this Griffin guy, figure out what else he has going on, and stop him!"

Kendall sighed. "Carlos, we can't just spy on Griffin. He's the freaking _devil_. Right, Logan?"

Logan's expression was distant, his eyes glazed over. "No…no, we can't…" he replied, trailing off at the end.

Kendall smirked, gesturing to Logan. "See? We can't—"

"Wait!" Logan interjected, having snapped back into focus. "_We_ can't spy on him," he started, gesturing between them. He smirked. "But I think I know someone who can.

Logan found himself flashing in and out of every room in the vast Underworld. He was searching for a friend of his, a demon that could get inside information without being suspect. Of course, it was seemingly impossible, since demons could literally move from one side of the Underworld to the other in an instant.

He almost felt like giving up by the time he flashed into a grand courtyard. At first it seemed like it was completely empty, and he fell to the ground in exasperation.

"Uh-oh. Little Logie looks sad."

Logan looked up. A tall, pale boy with jet black hair was looking down at him, an amused smirk on his face. Logan stood, a smirk appearing on his face as well. "Mason. I've been looking for you."

Mason nodded. "I heard. What do you need?"

"A favor, actually. And it's…a bit of a big one." Logan's smirk fell.

"Oh…" Mason's expression became somber as well. "Well, whatever you need, I can do it."

Logan smiled sadly. "Uh…well, I need to spy on Griffin and Camille."

Mason looked taken aback. "You want me to spy on the guy who's basically my boss. And not to mention my _girlfriend_. What the fuck for?"

So Logan explained. He told of Griffin's plan, and of what he had to do, and of his friends. And he told Mason of the mystery behind Griffin's intentions and Camille's role in the whole thing. And as he did, he watched Mason's expression go from adamant to confused to sympathetic. When he finished, Mason looked torn. Logan was cautious. "So…will you help us?"

Mason hesitated. "I…I really don't want to do that to Camille. Or risk what'll happen with Griffin." Logan nodded in understanding. "But…that look on your face is making me _really_ sad, so… I guess I'm in."

Logan's face brightened. "Really?"

Mason nodded. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

Logan nodded, and the two began formulating a plan.

* * *

><p>Some time later, Logan was back in the cages. His friends sat, exchanging their own twisted ideas of what was going to happen to them or, in Kendall's case, offering reassurance that they were going to be fine. Logan sat in silence, hoping nothing bad would happen to Mason. After all, the guy was nothing but nice to everyone; he was completely the opposite of what you'd expect a demon to be.<p>

Finally, the black-haired demon flashed in, his expression unreadable. The boys in the cage silenced, and the room was quiet for a long moment, the air tense.

Mason spoke up. "Well, I have good news, bad news, worse news, and terrible news."

Kendall, James, and Carlos released one loud groan in unison, Carlos falling back in exasperation. Logan, having expected as much, said nothing. "What's the good news?" Carlos asked loudly.

Mason sighed. "The good news is that I know exactly what they're planning."

Carlos sat up. "Seriously? What is it?"

Mason frowned. "Well, that's the bad part. First off, they're not planning any sort of apocalypse. Bringing the humans down here was just a diversion so Logan wouldn't catch on too quickly."

Logan slammed his fist into the bars of the cage, rattling it. "That _bastard_!"

Kendall immediately moved to Logan's side, trying to calm him down. "What's the worse news?" he asked Mason.

"Griffin's not stopping with just the mortal world. With all the bad in that world, he's hoping for Rocque to intervene. Then he's going to move in on the Overworld."

Logan gasped. "He's actually going to try to take down Gustavo?"

"Who's Gustavo?" Carlos asked.

"He's the ruler of the Overworld. You know, where good souls go when they die."

"So is he…like a god or something?"

"In a way, yes," Logan answered. He is to the Overworld what Griffin is to the Underworld."

Carlos nodded in understanding.

Kendall cut in. "Wait, wait. What's the terrible news, Mason?"

Mason hesitated.

"What is it?" Logan asked, fear etched on his face.

"Well…you mentioned Griffin talking about destroying all traces of human life, converts like you included." Logan nodded in response. "Well I heard him mention bringing out Cerberus."

Logan paled. "Oh no…"

Carlos, James, and Kendall looked between each other and their now ghostly-looking friend. "What… what does that mean?" Kendall finally asked.

Logan stared, his expression blank aside from the panic in his eyes. "It…it means that Griffin's doing more than just destroying _human_ life."

"What do you mean?"

"The Cerberus doesn't…_can't_ do anything to mortals. It only hurts _supernatural_ beings. And even then, it's not going to touch demons. Not that Griffin would want it to anyway."

"Wait, does that mean…?" Kendall started.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. When Griffin attacks, there's going to be a massacre. Humans, converts…"

Mason's expression was grim as he finished for his friend. "…even angels."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Long time no see. I've been working on this for a week now, and I'm happy to say that this chapter is finally complete! Hopefully I'll update a little more frequently now that school's out, but I can't promise anything, since writer's block is a bi—not nice person. But anyway, on to the chapter!**

* * *

><p>The scene in the cage quickly went from confusion to panic. The three mortals were all speaking over each other trying to get answers about what this meant. In any other situation, Logan and Mason would have found it comical. But right now, they had business to attend to.<p>

"Alright! Enough!" Logan shouted. The three calmed down. "All this tells us is what we already knew: we need to stop Griffin."

"But what if we don't?" Carlos asked, earning twin slaps on the back of his head from Kendall and James.

"Then Griffin will basically rule over the entire world, mortal and immortal," Mason said, his voice indifferent despite the panic subtly showing on his face.

"Okay," James said. "So, uh…_how do we stop him_?"

"We wait," Mason said. Suddenly all eyes were on him, silently asking for an elaboration. "Well, think about it. He's going to need a lot of power just to get to the Overworld, let alone take it over." Logan nodded in understanding, while the mortals seemed no more enlightened than before, unsure of how that helped them. "We'll just wait until he gains access to the Overworld. The angels won't go down without a fight. He'll be vulnerable, and we can strike. Between us and the angels, he doesn't stand a chance."

"That…could work really well," Logan said. James and Carlos quickly voiced their agreement, but Kendall seemed lost in thought. "What do you think, Kendall," he asked.

"Well, it's good except for one little detail," he said. "We still have Cerberus to deal with."

Logan laughed. "Oh, don't worry about that. Griffin isn't the only one who can control him, you know."

"You mean you can control him too?" Carlos asked, his usual hyper excitement back full force.

"Well…no…" Carlos deflated. "Only two people other than Griffin can control him. Camille is one, but she's Griffin's assistant, so I don't think she'll help us. That leaves Rae."

"Who's Rae?" Kendall asked.

"And what does she look like?" James added.

Logan raised an eyebrow at James before turning back to Kendall. "Rae is the most cunning convert down here. Hell, probably even the most cunning of _anyone_ down here."

"Okay. And she can control Cerberus?" Kendall asked.

Logan nodded. "It's Griffin's way of keeping her satisfied, and yet another way he keeps the rest of us in line."

"How?"

"Rae is a _really_ good liar. If someone were to anger Griffin enough, he'd have Rae take them to Cerberus, and they wouldn't know until it was too late."

"But I thought you said Cerberus couldn't touch demons," James said.

"Not under Griffin, he can't. But Rae makes up her own rules. And one of them is that demons aren't safe from him. Griffin looks the other way with that."

"Wow," Kendall said, impressed. "Remind me to get some tips from her when this is all over." The group laughed, but it quickly died down. "Alright. So that's it, then? We're going to get Rae to help us?"

Mason and Logan shared a look. "We'll try," Logan said, grimacing. "Hard to say where her loyalties are."

Kendall sighed and nodded. "Well, at least it's something.

* * *

><p>Logan and Mason found themselves flashing into and out of every last space in the Underworld. Having done this before, Logan felt irritated, suddenly wishing the Underworld was smaller. Mason, however, enjoyed it, seeing areas (and cute demons) he hadn't before.<p>

The pair eventually found Rae in a long hallway. She was propped up against the wall, engrossed in a leather-bound book. Her black hair, although short, hid most of her face from view. As the two began moving toward her, she turned to them, the light of curiosity in her eyes contrasting sharply with the darkness of her complexion and the vague anger that painted the rest of her face. There was an aura about her that would intimidate most when they were around her, but Logan and Mason were both unfazed by it.

"What do you two want?" she spat, her face already showing agitation.

"We need your help with—"

"No."

Logan and Mason shared a look before turning back to her. "You don't even know what we were going to ask."

Rae sighed, closing her book. "You were going to ask me to help you with something. I don't help people. So my answer is no."

Logan sighed. "But we're desperate, and, to be honest, this is going to benefit you."

"How?" Rae asked, skepticism apparent in every detail of her face and voice.

"Well, I'm sure you enjoy living. Help us, and you can continue doing so," Mason said, almost patronizingly.

She scoffed. "What, you're going to kill me if I don't help you?"

"No," Logan said, "but if you don't help us, Griffin is going to get a lot more powerful than he already is, and you, me, and every other trace of human life will be gone."

Rae's expression didn't change. "Alright, I'm listening."

And they told her all they knew of what Griffin was doing. As they did, Rae's expression never changed from the skeptic, agitated boredom that seemed to constantly cover every last bit of her face.

When they finished, however, that expression melted into something similar to fear. "What do you need me to do?" she asked.

"Well, Griffin is going to use Cerberus to take down the angels. We were hoping you could keep that from happening somehow."

Rae paused, thinking. For a second, Logan and Mason were hopeful. "That's not going to happen," Rae said. When the two began to protest, she held up a finger to stop them. "Regardless of what I am able to do, Griffin has more power than I do. Even if he _is_ weakened after he gets to the Overworld, it's not going to last forever. He's strong. He'll overpower me before I could do anything worthwhile. I'm sorry. I want to help you, but I can't."

Logan and Mason both sighed in defeat. "Alright."

* * *

><p>The pair returned to the cages, and the mortals immediately ran to the edge of the cage, eager to hear Rae's response.<p>

"She can't help us," Logan said, and he watched as his friends deflated, and he felt himself wanting to do the same.

"What do we do now?" Carlos asked, exasperation obvious in his voice.

Everyone turned to Mason, who seemed to be full of solutions. So when he shrugged and said he had no idea what to do, everyone groaned.

"That's it then. We're out of ideas, we have no hope…we should just give up. At least we can say we tried," James said.

"I agree with James," Carlos stated, having fallen on his back.

"Yeah, well I don't," Kendall said. "There _has_ to be something."

Logan nodded. "I'm not giving up either."

"Same here," Mason said. "I'm sure we'll come up with something."

Then there was a flash, and gray smoke filled the room. "Hey," a voice called.

Everyone turned to find Rae suddenly in the room with them. Carlos raised his head to see her, and James perked up, suddenly intrigued.

"What's up, Rae?" Logan asked.

Rae smirked. "I think I figured something out. If I'm right, I'll be able to keep hold of Cerberus so Griffin can't use him."

Logan lit up. "Wait, so does this mean…?"

Rae's smirk grew into a full-blown smile. "Yes, it means I'll help you guys."


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, so I'm kind of horrible at this whole updating thing, and you have every right to hate me, especially since this was so short. But I promise I'll try harder. I have a lot of stuff to juggle, but I'm working to manage it. In the meantime, enjoy this. Please?**

* * *

><p>The dark mood in the room lightened with the news. With Rae on their side, the fight was winnable.<p>

"So what's our plan?" Mason asked. "I mean, earlier, you said Griffin would be able to overpower you. What changed?"

Rae smirked. "Well, Griffin is powerful. But there are certain things I can get Cerberus to do that even Griffin can't. Attacking demons, for example."

"But even under you, he won't attack Griffin," Logan stated.

"I never said he'd attack Griffin. There _are_ other demons, of course."

"Camille…" Mason said absently. His expression became hard. "_No_. You are _not_ going to attack her."

Rae laughed. "Relax, lover boy. She'll be safe. Griffin's cocky, but he's not stupid. He'll prepare for the worst, which means having Camille stay here. If he goes down, she takes over. But he won't want that. He'll bring an army to make sure he succeeds. And I'll take it down before he can stop me."

"That…is brilliant," Logan said, a small smirk on his face. Mason nodded in agreement.

"Wait," Kendall said. "Say this _does_ work. What happens when Griffin takes control of Cerberus again?"

"By then, Griffin should be fighting alone, or close to alone. We just attack him altogether, overpower him."

"But couldn't people…you know, _die_?" Carlos asked, his expression resembling that of a kicked puppy.

"That's a risk we're gonna have to take, Carlitos," James said, a comforting arm wrapping around Carlos' shoulders. He turned to the demons. "We'll be safe though, right?"

Logan nodded. "I'm not letting you guys up there when this all goes down." James nodded.

"No," Kendall said adamantly. "I'm going with you." Logan opened his mouth to argue. "And don't try to talk me out of it. You need at many strategic minds as possible. That includes me."

"He's right," Mason said. "If we need to make split-second decisions, he could be very useful to us."

Logan sighed. "Alright. But _just_ Kendall. James and Carlos stay here." The group nodded.

"So what's our next move?" Mason asked.

"Well, Griffin's getting an army," Kendall started. "So…we should get one of our own."

* * *

><p>Collecting an army was no easy task. Logan, Mason, and Rae had to be careful, mindful of who was trustworthy and who wasn't. They also had to be discreet. If their plan fell onto the wrong ears, they were screwed.<p>

There was also the issue of fear. No matter the size of the army, they were still going up against Griffin, who had the power to kill all of them. Easily.

After much tedious work, they figured out a list of who could be trusted. They asked around, but Griffin's intimidation factor meant that they were meant with refusal.

"Let's face it," Logan said after a particularly nasty refusal (complete with choice words and an accusation that the two were idiots out of their minds). "Nobody is going to want to fight against Griffin."

"Yes, they will," Mason replied. "There's bound to be someone with as much motivation as us to take Griffin down."

"Like who?"

"Well, we'll find out, now won't we?"

The pair then went to find the next potential recruit, a demon named Lia. She was reserved and independent, and word was that she had her own personal agenda against Griffin. Neither Logan nor Mason believed the rumors, but they had to have a basis. So they hoped that meant she'd be willing to help.

They found her alone in one of the more secluded areas of the Underworld. They made their proposition to her, and she told them she'd consider it. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either, and that was a start.

* * *

><p>It took almost a full day for Lia to respond. They hoped for some good news, since nobody else had been willing to help. They had, however, received wishes of good luck from those who were sympathetic of their cause.<p>

Lia came to them when they were alone. "I'm not afraid of Griffin," she said. "The other losers in this place are probably scared shitless by him, and it makes no sense. Plus, Logan's kind of cute, and I'd hate to see him get killed. So I'll do it."

Logan smiled, the compliment bringing a light blush to his cheeks. "Thanks."

"But," she said. "I want to be the one to kill Griffin."

Logan hesitated. He—_they_—were desperate for help, and the condition _was_ minor. However, he had envisioned himself being the one to take Griffin out. In the end though, desperation won over, and he agreed.

On top of that, now an army was beginning to form.


End file.
